The White Lotus

"This is highly intriguing!" Amell had not paid attention to the system he was doomed to live with for a considerable amount of time now. In fact, he had gone so far to command the system to not tell him of any changes made to it. This was mostly done so that he could at least pretend to be someone that belonged in this vast Multiverse. Reminding himself that he was someone who had reincarnated only made him feel like none of this was real, that his wife Sylvia and all his kids were not real. As one would imagine, that wasn't the most pleasant feeling to wake up to in the morning.

But, now that he was ready for another long journey into other worlds he had once again booted up the old system. The first thing that he noticed and was now staring intently at was an entirely new window he had never seen before.

[Multiverse] - Through this function, the host can inspect his progress around the multiverse. How feared he is, how loved he is, the amount of loyalty.]

'That's neat I suppose.'

"Lord Amell! Is it time already?" Said Alora as she and Sebas together with the maids appeared behind him. No doubt here to wish him good luck and say their goodbyes.

"Indeed. So many years have passed since I did some travelling and I still have a goal and a dream to fulfil. Expect me to be gone for a long time, might be gone for a few centuries, maybe more. You all have free reign over this world until I'm back. Do whatever, just don't destroy it."

"We won't! Though, I can't speak for those Fairy Tail brats. They seem pretty good at destroying things." Alora smirked thinking back to Natsu and the first time they met. His immediate declaration for a fight and then being knocked unconscious right away, by her, of course. She missed that little brat.

"Lord Amell, forgive me for delaying your departure, but I would like to know what you're goal is? If you do not mind answering."

"I don't mind, Nabe. It's quite simple, but it will take me a while."

"You see, many years ago now, well over a century ago, I joined a group called The Order Of The White Lotus. My friend, the one I defeated to join made me promise to bring the order to greatness. I thought nothing of it at the time, simply believing they told everyone that. But, things happened and I was locked inside a prison for an entire century, during which he died. So, since I didn't get to say goodbye I decided to honour him by bringing our order out into the multiverse. I am gonna make it the most terrifying force in existence."

"Woah, sucks that you won't let me join you."

"Do not fret Alora. I have another assignment for you before I leave."

"Yey, another babysitting session for some spoiled mages, I'm sure. How kind of you, My Lord." The sarcasm in her tone was so clear the densest person in the multiverse would pick up on it.

"Not exactly. I need a new name." This thoroughly shocked his followers. Alora being a quick thinker instantly picked up on what he wanted from her. So, with a grin on her face, she nodded.

"Amell is for family, it's my family identity. The man who despises needless fighting. I have no desire to taint that name with any more blood than I already have. For this journey, I will spill blood, massive amounts no doubt. And, to be honest I miss fighting. But I can't do all that with a name I refuse to associate with fear, dominance and power."

"Aziel! Power Of A God. You are the god of this island, of this and many worlds. What name is more fitting than that?" Alora wrote the name in the ground and stared at it for a few moments. Only after making sure it fit her Lord did she nod in satisfaction. "It fits." She said cheerfully.

"Well, as I said. Your wish is my command, My Lady." Aziel, the soon-to-be founder of the multiverse Order, White Lotus grinned like a mad King. The excitement for beating down powerful opponents rushing through him.

"What will be your first stop, My Lord?"

"I have spread my senses across the Multiverse and I've found one world that I will visit first." Before ripping reality apart to create the bridge to the new world, he had one more thing to do. In front of everyone's eyes, he shrunk from being 253cm in height to 210cm. For a human, he was still extremely tall, but something in him refused to go below 200cm. Ever since he reincarnated around 500years ago, he had always been over 200cm in height, he could not go below that. It stood to reason that with god-like powers you should always look down on people, though this had never and would never be his number one priority. It was simply something he enjoyed doing. He would never go out of his way to outclass people like Whitebeard or Kaido. You don't necessarily need to be taller than someone to look down on them, it's just fun to literally look down on the strongest in the world.

Looks good. Not freakishly tall as before which I think adds to your handsomeness, My Lord." Alora and Sebas were still the only ones that could get away with such underhanded insults.

"Okay then. Today Aziel is born. The founder of White Lotus; as far as the multiverse is concerned. We have said goodbye so many times now that we should probably skip the dramatic goodbyes. Plus, I'm trying to be more laid-back in my old age. One should act their age, no?"

"Definitely. It's even scarier when someone with unstoppable power acts lazy. It makes you seem unpredictable and mysterious, and that is something people fear. Good luck out there, Lord Aziel." Alora gave a small wave and then she was gone with the wind. Her speed had improved, though still not in the leagues of Sebas or Alucard. Those were still Aziel's strongest subordinates.

"Yes, well. Hopefully, this will be enjoyable. Goodbye for now. I will return in a few centuries most likely. Take care of this world for me, I am interested to see what natural evolution will morph these mages into." With a flick of his wrist, he opened a rift to his destination. The whole casualness about opening the rift is what made the act so terrifying to watch. The maids were stronger than any mage in this world and they hadn't even touched upon the power of world-travel.

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It was a quiet evening in Karakura town, currently no hollows, soul reapers were present. No big battles were taking place. Nothing out of the ordinary... Except a 5-meter wide space-rift connecting two completely separate worlds on the opposite sides of the multiverse. Just another quiet night for the people of this strange town.

'Well, this is new. Or, old, either way, recognizable. Been a long time since I've been in a semi-modern world.' The sun was currently setting over the horizon and the town was bathed in a beautiful feeling of serenity.

'Hm, interesting. I feel multiple dimensional connections here. An active multi-dimensional world. How amusing. I'm sure I can have lots of fun here. Tons of people to potentially take into the Order.'

{Host! When you have a moment, there is something you should be made aware of.}

'Ah, my dear System. How nice to hear you're still with me. Go ahead, I got no plans for the moment." Amell walked over to one of the many benches in that park where he'd appeared. When he sat down the system immediately started speaking in its monotone voice, while Aziel inspected the park. He noted that he might be further back in history than he thought. It looked modern compared to Eartland, but it still looked quite uncivilized.

{Very well! Then I shall start with your status as a being. Since you requested not to be disturbed, any announcements regarding the system or yourself have not been made known to you. That is why you first need to know that the question you have about yourself, I can answer.}

'I believe you're talking about me being human or not?'

{Precisely! You are not! As you have sensed yourself, your power has transcended logic. You have officially stepped into the realms of the supposed impossible. The same God that reincarnated you also sent a message for you regarding your ascension into the what you now are. Would you like to see it now?}

'Hm, so it is as I suspected. I am no longer human at all. And, sure, show me the message. Been a while since I've seen that old man.' And as he said it a note appeared in his hand. On it read the following.

{Hello, boy. I sensed your ascension into a god. Welcome to the big leagues. I don't have a lot to say, I've seen too many mortals ascend for this to be exciting anymore. First of, yes, there are more gods out there in the multiverse. Most never interact with mortals or other gods, though granted, they are very old. Second thing, there are ranks among gods, some stronger than others. Except for me, of course, I am the Big G after all. But, I digress. Be careful henceforth. Should you encounter any god on your journey, make sure you're stronger before you insult them. And, I think that is about it. Have fun, my boy!}

'Hahaha! Very good! Looks like I can maybe still find a decent fight somewhere down the line.'

{If the host is to fight other gods, the system would recommend choosing an uninhabited world since a fight of that scale could very easily wipe out the existence on any world you descend on.}

'I'll keep that in mind.' Aziel nodded passively to a woman passing by, but much to his disappointment she took on the expression of a terrified child and ran away with impressive speed. 'What the hell? I'm not a serial killer, I thought I had a nice smile.'

{Host is unconsciously releasing Divine energy at the moment. It can easily overwhelm mortals.}

'Ah, whoops.' He focused and withdrew it quickly. 'Anyway, tell me about these rankings.'

{There are four rankings in god-hood. Newborn, Evolved god, High god and Enlightened.}

'Interesting, very interesting. Out of pure curiosity. How many Enlightened are there?'

{One. He is the one who reincarnated you, also the first mortal to ever transcend into god-hood. There can only ever be one Enlightened at a time. Such power can't exist in more than one being. Such power where he can snap his fingers and create a multiverse.}

'Woah, why have I never known that about his status before? Wasn't I allowed?'

{Precisely. Such information would have been pointless before you ascended, which is why it was withheld from you until now.}

'Fair enough. Even though I don't like not knowing such information, no use crying over spilt milk. I am on to bigger and better things. How long usually before a god becomes an Evolved god?'

{Fastest in history is the current Enlightened God. It took him 59 million years to do so. The power of the gods is too much to describe so it would be pointless to try. Even the host's power can't be described in words. That is why it takes so long to amass the power to evolve further as a god. Going from Evolved to High god takes much longer than the previous stage. And, beyond that you can't evolve as only one Enlightened can exist at a time.}

'Then how does one replace him? Is he just gonna exist forever?'

{The answer is not known. He created the rankings himself. He knows there is nothing beyond his rank, but no god in existence, including the Enlightened, knows how to replace him. He is after all, completely Omnipotent. All other gods simply stop gaining power eventually.}

'Can't he be killed?'

{Is it possible to kill an Omnipotent being? The answer is still unclear, but a few have tried and failed. Is there anything more host would like to know?}

'Well, yes, but I don't think I care enough to ask at the moment. I just want to live and learn, no point having every little thing explained to me. I want to leave at least a little mystery for me to find on my own.'

"I guess I should take a look at one of the dimensions. It's bound to be more interesting than this little town." With another flick of the wrist, he walked into a rift leading to what this world called Soul Society.

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As usual, he arrived at his destination without a problem. But, the moment he stepped out of the rift a truly enormous fist (even by Aziel's standards) came flying towards him. Despite its proximity to his face, he raised his finger and stopped the fist's collision with him.

What surprised Aziel more than the fact that he appeared in the middle of a battle was the people who were fighting. Two were children trembling on the ground to his right, and a massive monster on his left, exuding killing intent even the most savage killer would be proud of.

He applied some pressure to his finger and sent the beast flying into a tree close by. "Well, that wasn't the warmest welcome I've received."

He forgot about the monster almost immediately and instead turned to the kids trembling on the ground.

"You two okay? That was close. Haven't you heard the saying, 'don't play with fire'." He gestured to the monster. "That's a pretty scary monster."

"W-We weren't looking for it, you dumb old man!"

"Ouch, words hurt, you know. Now, I may be just a dumb old man, but at least show some courtesy and curse me out inside your head." Aziel casually reached out and bonked the little boy on the head. Despite being a god, he had night perfect control of his strength so the kid felt only a little pain.

"Uhm, Sir old man, the Hollow is still alive!"

"Hm? Hollow?" With a glance, he caught the monster finally on its feet with an expression bordering fear and anger. Something as primal as a mindless monster would run only on instincts. And, facing Aziel with only instincts was an awful thing to do. Every bone in its body told it to run.

"Ah, right. Forgot about him. Her? It?" He stood to face it while inspecting its form. "Some investigating is certainly in order."

Despite the primal fear just looking at Aziel caused, the hollow went for the kill, not wanting to let its original prey escape. This was, of course, pointless. Aziel took his sword and raised it only an inch out of its sheath. The Hollow was immediately cut in three pieces and he resheathed his weapon.

""WAOH"" The duo behind him yelled in amazement as the Hollow fell and disappeared in tiny energy particles.

"Hm, corrupted souls maybe. What an interesting creature. Unfortunately truly too weak to experiment on. I should find some stronger ones." Aziel suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve and saw the tiny little girl standing there. Expression of clear awe and confusion on her face.

"W-What did you do? You didn't even draw your sword fully and yet the monster was cut." She moved closer to his side unconsciously, something Aziel had seen many times with people he'd met in his travels. She sought safety and she moved closer without realising it.

"But I did, youngling, you just couldn't see it. Were you a little stronger you would have seen the three slashes I sent out to cut the monster with." He pointed at the almost destroyed tree the Hollow flew into and drew his sword again. Only an inch out of its sheath and the tree was cut in two and fell.

"See, I'm just quick, that's all. You could do that too with a little training." He smiled as best he could, not even realising the power of a god-like smile. Both children's faces grew red like a ripe tomato.

"P-Please, c-could you take us home? I-If any more Hollow's come, y-you could protect us a-again..." What followed was easily the longest pause of her life. While Aziel was considering it, he noticed they both carried considerable power for children so small. 'They are older than they look. Because they're souls they age differently. Make sense. I wonder how old the oldest soul in this place is. Certainly, I won't be the oldest anymore.'

"Please, old man! Train me!!" The boy jumped on his knees in front of him, with his forehead touching the ground. Simply floored by the display of power he had to at least ask. How else was he gonna keep his family safe? He glanced at his friend he considered family and prayed silently for the old man to agree.

"That was splendidly done. A lot of genuinity. How about you, youngling, wanna be trained?" He looked at the little girl still holding on to his sleeve. She didn't seem to realise she was holding it.

"Rukia, we could be Shinigami if he'll train us!"

'Hm, Shinigami? Now, what's that?' Aziel's silver eyes lit up for a second as he stared at the kids, and suddenly all their thoughts were exposed to him. 'I see. The protectors of Soul Society. They are certainly doing a poor job if these kids lives are anything to go by.'

"You two wanna be Shinigami then?"

"Rukia doesn't. She doesn't like fighting, but I wanna become one so I can protect my family and make the districts safer!" The boy was named Renji, which Aziel learned after invading his mind to read the most essential thoughts. He had mastered the technique and could choose what to look at and what to leave alone.

"Protect your family? A noble goal, one I can respect. For someone so young, you have a big and bright heart." He waved his finger and Renji was lifted to his feet. "Very well, youngling, I will train you. Now, show me to your home."

"Gladly!" With a spring in his steps, Renji ran off, forgetting about Rukia. She was swept up in a swirl of soft clothing material as Aziel lifted her and placed her on his shoulder. If Alora saw that, Rukia's life would surely be in danger.

"Let us go and catch up to that eager youngling." She was way too embarrassed to refuse him lifting her. But, she couldn't deny the incredible feeling of safety and warmth that swarmed her as she sat there. She could also see his exposed chest as he only wore a long baggy robe with the only real solid article of clothing being his pants. With blushing cheeks she steeled her gaze forward, refusing to look down.

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Rukia and Aziel had barely entered the house before Renji was upon him and begging to see his sword.

"Please, old man! It has to be strong, right? I have never seen a Shinigami sword up close before."

"Oh, do you think I'm a Shinigami?" Aziel said amusingly as he sat down on the dirty rug in the middle of the living room.

"Obviously, who else can use a sword like that? We normal souls can't defeat Hollows, only they can."

"Now, that is just not true. After I'm done with you, you're gonna ace every test that the academy throws at you. Every hollow shall fear your power even before you become a Shinigami." Rukia had talked about the Shinigami academy on the way to the house. "Also, I'm not a Shinigami, I'm self-taught and this is just a normal sword. Only steel, nothing magical about it."

He smiled and pulled it out and placed it on the ground. It was nothing special about it, looking almost like Shanks blade. Ordinary, but deadly in the hands of a master.

"H-How can that be? You have to be a Shinigami, how else did you kill that hollow?"

"Swordsmanship. But, I do utilize another power that I doubt the Shinigami knows about. It's called Haki and by coating my sword in it, it becomes harder than any known material in existence. But, that's mainly because of my mastery in the skill."

"Haki? How do you use it." Rukia asked.

Aziel placed a finger on the blade and spoke, "Do you see this midnight-black coloured blade?" Both kids nodded and Renji thought it was a slightly stupid question.

"Well, the blade was originally a standard silver colour like most blades. But, mine is black because it's permanently infused with Haki. After many years of use, the blade has become completely unbreakable. Nothing can break it, not a punch from a god, nothing. It's infused with much of my power so every strike can cut a city in two." His grin widened when he saw the clear denial on Rukia's face. Renji's brain almost collapsed in on itself from sheer excitement. He was gonna get the old man to teach him no matter what. He would nag at him for a century if that's what it would take.

"Not gonna say I believe anyone can cut a city in half, but Haki is incredible. Do you have to wield a sword to use it?"

"No, you do not. Most don't actually. Infusing your hands and feet for devastating attacks is also very common."

"Then let's stop talking and start training! Teach me Haki!!"

"Renji, before that there are a few things you need to know. Plus, we won't start training right away. Training will go much smoother if I know a bit about you two so we will spend a few days relaxing and getting familiar with each other."

"Old man-"

"Do not 'old man' me! I am the most powerful grandpa in the universe. An old man is boring to be called, so call me grandpa."

"D-Do you have grandchildren?"

"Of course. How weird would it be if I called myself a grandpa without having any grandchildren? I'm not a weirdo like that."

"I doubt you're normal," Rukia let a tiny smirk slip.

"Seems I have to beat some respect into you younglings."

"How old are you anyway? You look to be late fifty, but you should be a lot older than that."

"About 500 years old at this point. But, eventually, you just stop counting, so in truth, I have no idea the exact age I am, and I don't care either way. I am just here to enjoy life a little. I might as well spend a century or two here."

"Why would you waste that much time in this place when you can leave? Even our souls aren't immortal. You should make use of your time." Rukia had completely taken over the conversation. The more he interacted the more he realized who the head of the house was.

"Who said I was a soul? That's an assumption you made yourself, for I never stated that I was a soul like you two."

"What else are you? No human is here so you can't be a human."

"I'm not human. Let me stop you before you continue. I will not reveal what I am because you two are not ready to hear it. Eventually, if you prove capable of handling that information I will tell you. But, for now, how about you tell me your tale instead. How old are you, and how long have you been here?" And so, their night continued with them sharing stories and getting more familiar with each other. He did eventually get Rukia to call him grandpa, Renji did it right away, hoping to gain favour by doing so.

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"Renji, Rukia, wake up and get down here!" Despite the almost whisper-like tone, he used his voice reached the upper floor and caused tiny vibrations in the younglings ears. 'That should annoy them enough to try harder to beat me in our spar.'

Aziel smirked to himself. He took great pleasure in torturing them in little ways. Most of the time this was done by waking them up in many different annoying ways.

Very quickly he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and even by listening to their feet he could make out that they were very annoyed. They were both very fond of sleep and hated being waked before they naturally woke up.

"What's up, grandpa? And, if you say something about responsibility to make use of the day I will kill you..." Renji, the leading force for positive thinking glared intently at Aziel as he sat down on the floor.

"It is important to make use of the day. Especially now."

"What do you mean?" Rukia questioned suspiciously.

"Your training begins today!"

"FINALLY!!" Renji jumped up on his feet and threw some air-punches and slapped himself to wake up.

"Not so fast, boy. I know you want to learn Haki, but that won't be possible for some time. For one to learn it, you must have an incredibly durable body. I think you know what this means." He glanced at Rukia who immediately retreated some distance away.

"You're thinking of beating us up, aren't you?

"For your own good, mind you." Aziel's grin grew more savage sending shivers down their spines.

"I-I think I'm good!" Rukia ran upstairs leaving Renji in the wold den all alone. She abandoned him without issue, she would rather sleep.

"I'll get to her later. Follow me outside, boy."

'Damn you, Rukia. If I die I'm gonna haunt you!'

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Aziel had been living with Rukia and Renji for quite some time now, but he didn't bother counting the days so he didn't know specifically know how long it had been. That was the mystery with being immortal or like the souls living here. If you live long enough your perception of time gets thrown for a loop and it usually never returns to normal. He could have lived with them for a year but for him, it might have seemed like a month. It had certainly happened before where he mistook the times passing.

He knew he must have lived here for quite some time because his two kids were very close to him, but for him, it was like they suddenly started acting all lovey-dovey out of nowhere.

Currently, they were walking around the marketplace shopping for dinner. Much to the surprise of Renju and Rukia, he had a lot of money. They had no idea of his power to create something from nothing so they thought he had money saved up, which wasn't the case.

"Grandpa, are you sure this is okay? It doesn't feel right leeching off you all the time. You should at least let us work or something and let us earn our own money." Rukia stood with Aziel while Renji was dashing around buying food from all different kinds of stalls. The surprise on the faces of the shopkeepers at seeing a little kid with all that money was amusing for Aziel to look at.

"Nonsense. That can come later. For now, you should just enjoy your childhood. You two have lost friends and family, almost starved to death on many occasions, you will let me provide until you become Shinigami. That's not a request, that's an order from your master." To emphasis, his point he brought down the Fist Of Justice ontop her head and leaving a little bump.

"Okay, I'm done!" Renji returned completely out of breath. The smile on his face from seeing the expression of the shopkeeper's faces was hilariously stupid-looking. He didn't have nearly as much trouble with the charity as Rukia had. The only thing that bothered him was how he out of all people had this luxury. The fact that Aziel hadn't come before when his friends and family were still alive was what hurt the most. But, he was gonna be strong for Rukia's sake.

"Then let us head back." He didn't even have time to turn around before he felt trouble incoming. Only a few meters away from them stood three Shinigami, clearly very low in rank because of their spiritual pressure. Rukia and Renji almost had their amount of spiritual energy, and that was the fruits of the labour. They had trained with Aziel for a few weeks now, or at least he imagined it had been a few weeks, could have been longer.

Because nothing could be felt from Aziel as he was suppressing it, he looked like any normal fifty-year-old man.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help to notice that vigorous spending. Where did you get that amount of money? It isn't stolen, is it?" The question was definitely justified in this part of Soul Society. You would very rarely if ever see someone spending money as Renji had just done. The strongest of the three Shinigami was clearly among the type of people that couldn't climb high enough on his own so instead decided to stick with bullying people he had superior strength to.

Most worlds were filled with these trash individuals. The world Nobels that he and Shanks had overthrown years back was a prime example of this behaviour. Only, they were the kind that misused power they had, this Shinigami had no power so instead, he bullies people with no power.

"Given by me, earned fairly and nothing you should bother with if you know what's best for you." Just like with any other arrogant up stuck individual, he had no patience for them.

"Best you take that back if you wish to keep your head. We watch over this district, would be a shame if we disappear when the hollows come."

He suddenly noted that the two kids unlike the old man had quite impressive spirit energy. Not much lower than himself, which wasn't something he found to be very comforting to his position of power. He could act like this because no one cared for this district unless a hollow appeared, and even then it wasn't a priority kill.

He didn't want future Shinigami gain power and come back for revenge against him. That was why he usually eliminated upcoming individuals. Obviously not personally as he wasn't stupid, but he had his ways.

"Grandpa, how about we just leave. They're Soul reapers."

"Barely, Rukia, barely. I bet you two could give them a run for their money."

"You think so?" Renji was growing excited. Imagine taking down a soul reaper. That would give him something to brag about.

"Hey! Don't talk like I'm not here! You're gonna have to follow me, I have to make sure that money isn't stolen. You understand."

"Absolutely, but, we have dinner plans." Aziel appeared in front of them like a ghost. Not a second later they fell over unconscious from a punch to the gut.

"Woah, grandpa, how strong are you, really?"

"difficult question to answer, Renji. I was told my strength can not be put into words." He smirked as he looked back.

"Sure... You do know that it's bad to lie."

"That's why I'm not lying."

"Grandpa, it's awesome that you're so strong, but don't you think you'll get in trouble for this?" Renji pointed at the knocked out Shinigami.

"Probably, I can feel eyes watching us, so the Shinigami surely have eyes all over Soul Society. But, it's not like they can do anything to me. Plus, it would make it easier if they find us and then I can just enrol you into the academy without having to do anything tedious."

"You're not normal."

"If you tell me what's considered normal and I will tell you if you're right or not." He ruffled Rukia's hair much to her annoyance. "Come, let's go home and eat some of your grandpa's delicious food."

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